Tag Archives: dinner

This one is a serious throwback! My sister made a version of these many many years ago, it was one of our very first Pintrest ventures. I thought they were delicious! I’ve been wanting to recreate them for years, but Levi has always been very skeptical. So this week I decided that it’s better to ask forgiveness rather than permission. I mean how could he not like them….chicken-good, pasta- good, basil and garlic- good, cheese- good and I decided that I was going to add a little something extra, Alfredo sauce-gooooooood!

And guess what…..of he loved it! This is kind of like a zesty chicken alfredo. I mean who wouldn’t love it? The original recipe doesn’t call for any sauce so the shells end up a little dry. I poured some homemade alfredo into the bottom of the pan and the result was amazing!

Tip- I call for 25 pasta shells because I like to leave myself a little room for error.

Ingredients:

25 Pasta Shells, cooked for a few minutes below package directions. You will want them very al dente. Drain and let cool.

1 lb Ground Chicken

1/2 Onion, diced

1 Cup Basil Leaves

2 Cloves Garlic

2 Tbsp Olive Oil (optional- 1/4 cup prepared pesto)

4 oz Cream Cheese

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Flour

1 Clove Garlic, minced

2 Cups Heavy Cream or Half n Half

1/4 Cup Parmesan, shredded

2 Cups Kraft Italian Blend Cheese

In a medium skillet heat up 2 tbsp cooking oil over a medium heat. Add onions and saute until they are soft. Add ground chicken, cook until slightly browned. Remove from heat, stir in cream cheese until fully melted.

In a small food processor add the basil, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp olive oil. Chop until very fine. Mix in with the chicken. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt the butter and add garlic. Cook until butter turns a dark yellow. Whisk in flour, cook for an additional minute. Add cream 1/2 cup at a time constantly whisking. Add parmesan. Reduce heat to low, let simmer for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

In an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish pour 3/4 of the alfredo sauce. Spoon the chicken mixture into the shells and place in the alfredo. Drizzle the rest of the sauce over the top and top with cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. If you want the cheese to brown turn on the broiler for 1-2 minutes.

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One of Levi’s favorite dishes when we go to Mexican restaurants is a tamale. I’ve never actually had one myself, but I wanted to try making something similar for him. I certainly do not have the skills or the know how to make an actual tamale wrapped in corn husk. I ran across a few different recipes online that seemed pretty standard so I figured I could make some personal adjustments and it would work out. And boy was I right!! This pie was a little spicy and a little sweet, very cheesy with a nice crumbly texture.

Ingredients:

1 Box Jiffy Corn Bread Mix

1/3 Cup Milk

1 Egg

1 Cup Frozen Corn

7 oz Green Chiles, chopped and your desired level of heat

1 lb Ground Beef

1 tsp Chile Powder

1 tsp Cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 Cup Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

2 Cups Shredded Cheese, I used Tillamook 2 Cheese Mexican Blend

Toppings: Sliced Green Onion, Cliantro, Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl whisk together the corn bread mix, milk, egg, green chile’s and corn. In a large cast iron pan or 9×13 baking dish, spray with cooking spray and fill with the corn bread mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cornbread is cooking, in a medium skillet cook the beef with the chili powder and cumin. Once the meat has browned, drain any excess fat.

Remove the cornbread from the oven and poke all over with a fork, pour green chile enchilada sauce evenly over the top. Add the beef and top with cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and return to oven for 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, turn on the broiler and broiler for about 2 minutes to brown the cheese.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Add desired toppings and enjoy!!

One of the best appetizers you can order is a skillet of warm, creamy spinach and artichoke dip. With a side of crusty bread or pita chips you just can’t go wrong! It’s creamy, cheesy and slightly tangy….an all around crowd pleaser!

Levi saw a picture of a stuffed pork Loin just randomly on something and made his signature “ooooooooh” noise that immediately adds that dish into my meal plan. We already had the Loin at home but we needed the string to truss (secure roasts or birds with string) the roast up. That ended up being quite the adventure that took us all over Walmart several times and ended up at Home Depot. We read that you want the string to be 100% natural because if there are any synthetics they might melt into your food. Yuck!

Once we got home we spent hours finishing up the editing our first how to video. You can now follow us on YouTube on our Squishy Cupcakes channel. After that long and slightly frustrating process I was a little worried that this meal would up in the same long and frustrating process. Luckily for me it ended up being super easy!!!! Prepping the roast and the dip only took about 10 minutes and then into the oven with the roast and onto the couch drinks in hand for us!

Ingredients:

2 lb Pork Loin

6 oz Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 Onion, finely chopped

1 Cup Spinach, chopped

4 oz Artichoke Hearts, chopped

3/4 Cup Mozzarella, shredded

1/2 Cup Parmesan, shredded

1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning

Preheat oven to 375.

On a large cutting board filet the pork Loin. Do this by taking a long sharp knife and make a cut downwards about 1/2 inch in from the side. Cut down until you have 1/2 inch left at the bottom. Flatten the flap you just cut and run your knife horizontally into the Loin and keep making cuts until you have a flat piece of pork. Cover with a large piece of plastic wrap and a hand towel. Use a meat mallet and pound the pork starting in the middle and working your way out until you have an even thickness.

In a medium bowl using a mixing spoon combine the cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Add the onions, garlic, cheeses, spinach and artichoke hearts. Stir until well combined.

Season the back side of the filleted Loin with the steak seasoning. Flip over and spread the dip evenly leaving about 1/2 inch on all sides. Roll up the loin along the long side for faster cooking. If a little filling comes out sides just wipe it off.

Using 100% white cotton twine truss up the Loin seam side up by tieing it really tightly on each end and twice in the middle. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with tin foil and place the Loin on the rack. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degrees.

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Here is another simple weeknight dinner. 15 minute prep and then into the oven for 90 minutes while you work on those pesky chores! There is just always so much more to do in the summer. Between gardening and yard work and there always seems like there is more cleaning that needs to be done. That pesky spring cleaning seems like it will never be done!

This year I have definitely learned the value of putting down new mulch every year. The weeds have just taken over my whole life, I simply can’t catch up. I am mostly just trying to keep them from over running my veggies at this point. How is everyone’s garden doing this year? I am finally having some success with basil this year. I mean big success. I think we’re going to have to make some basil pesto this year. I garnished this dish with mt first basil cuttings. And they were delicious! This whole dish was a wonderful comfort food. Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

5 Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced (the thicker the slice the longer to cook)

1 Yellow Onion, diced

1 lb Ground Beef

4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Rosemary

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Cups Tillamook Thick Shredded Colby Jack Cheese

Garnish with fresh basil and parsley

Thin Gravy:

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Flour

4 Chicken Buillon cubes

1 tsp Red pepper Flakes

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp Rosemary

1 1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium skillet add 1 tbsp cooking oil and add the onion. Saute over medium heat until the onions are soft. Add the beef and rosemary. Cook until the beef is nicely browned. Drain the fat. Return to heat and add garlic, saute for just another 1-2 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

To make the gravy in a medium saucepan melt the butter with the buillion cubes, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Whisk in the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to brown a little. Slowly add the water 1/2 cup at a time, whisking it together until all the lumps are gone. Add the milk and garlic powder. Bring to a simmer for 5-7 minutes whisking occasionally until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Spray a 9×9 cooking dish with cooking spray. Lay down half the potato slices in a single layer slightly overlapping them. Cover with half the beef, sauce and cheese. Repeat a second layer of potatoes, beef, sauce and cheese. Cover with tin foil.

Bake for an hour, test the potatoes with a fork. There should be minimal resistance. Bake longer if needed.

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I really love country style ribs! No bone and they are very tender and will absorb flavors well. Most recipes you will find will take hours and hours to slow cook the ribs to perfection. We usually do them in a slow cooker with Dr. Pepper. Click here for that recipe.

But I was looking for a quicker way to cook them, and found a lot of recipes that braised them in wine, but that still took a few hours. So what better way to get a quick cook than in a cast iron pan! I used my cast iron to sear the ribs first and then covered and into the oven for a quick braise. I know that I posted this as a 30 minute recipe and it really is just a few minutes over 30! WOW! The sauce is wonderful and made from the left over braising liquid.

I was basically playing an episode of Chopped this evening. All I knew I had was wine, ribs and pierogies. Luckily the broccoli and carrots were already in the fridge and we were able to whip up this awesome dinner.

Ingredients:

6 Country Style Ribs, rubbed with salt and pepper

2 Tbsp Grapeseed Oil

4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 Cup White Wine

2 Tbsp Rosemary

2 tsp Onion Salt

2 Bay Leaves

For the sauce: 2 Tbsp flour, 1 chicken bullion cube and 1/2 cup Milk

Preheat oven to 325.

In your cast iron skillet heat up the oil, add the ribs that have been rubbed with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes on each side until browned. Set aside. Add the garlic to the pan, give it a stir and it will brown very quickly. Add the wine, there will probably be a lot of smoke so keep your fan on. Bring to a boil, add the rosemary, onion salt and bay leaves. Put the ribs back in the pan and cover with your cast iron lid.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes. Pork should be cooked to at least 165 degrees. Once it’s done place the pan back on the stove top. Remove the ribs to a covered plate to rest while you make the sauce. Whisk in the flour and bring to a simmer. Add the milk and continue to simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.

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One of my really good friends actually requested this recipe. Around the holidays my dad always makes the BEST French Onion soup. For quite a few years in my 20’s I would bring friends over for a holiday meal and everyone always loved the French Onion soup the most. Of course I couldn’t post a recipe without trying it first. I would have to say our first attempt was a raving success! Cheesy, salty, and rich……heaven in a bowl! Another great thing about this dish is that you can do the main prep days in advance and then finish it up 10-20 minutes before you are ready to serve it! We had a bowl tonight for dinner and then saved the rest for New Years Eve!

We went over to my parents house this afternoon to get the recipe and some tips. Dad said that he has tried out several recipes over the years and has taken a little knowledge from each. So we took home with us pictures of 4 different recipes, a 1/4 Cup of Brandy, 6 English muffins of assorted flavors and a few laughs.

Noted substitutions: In some recipes you can use a white wine in place of vermouth and gruyere cheese in place of the swiss. Also, if you really want to kick up the flavor use homemade beef stock in place of the chicken/beef broth.

Browning the onions: Melt the butter on moderate heat in a 6 quart pot and add the oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent. The onions should have reduced by about half the size at this point. Add the sugar and salt and turn the heat up to moderately high. Cook for an additional 25 minutes until the onions are a medium golden brown. Stirring frequently and scraping off the cooked brown bit at the bottom of the pot and stirring them in with the onions.

Simmering the soup: Add the dried mustard, flour, and garlic and stir for 3 minutes. Next add 2 cups of the broth and stir vigorously. Bring to a simmer. Add the rest of the broth, consumme, brandy, vermouth, nutmeg and pepper. Stir together, loosely cover and simmer for 1- 2.5 hours. The longer you go the more flavor you will develop. Add a little water if your broth reduces too much. Remove from heat.

Prepare ahead: If you are prepping then go ahead and cool the soup, and cover and leave in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Eat it now!: Bring your oven to Broil High. Ladle your soup into single serve ramekins, top with the toast and a giant mound of Swiss cheese and then sprinkle with Parmesan. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 5-8 minutes until your cheese is browned.

I would love to hear about your favorite holiday meal….feel free to comment below!

This dish has been around for quite some time, but is rapidly gaining popularity and enjoying its time in the spotlight. So of course we had to make it after seeing it on Worst Cooks in America. We were inspired by Rachel Rays savory Waffles.

We finally ended up deciding on a cheddar and chive waffle, buttermilk fried chicken, and country gravy topped with a fried egg.

YUMMM!!

This is a great dish for special occasions that your family will definitely be craving!! There are some many great flavors that work together perfectly! The waffles are savory and crispy, the chicken is soooo juicy with just a little heat from red pepper flakes, the country gravy is to die for with just a little bit of rosemary and the fried egg with that runny yolk make into pure perfection!

We’ve made this dish a few times now. The first time was just some random day, they turned out pretty well. The next time we tried it was on Christmas eve….we got a little better. This was the night that we decided on our new Christmas eve tradition. We will start with the candlelight church service with my parents, followed by hot chocolate and a drive around town to look at the Christmas lights, and finally a dinner of chicken and waffles and a viewing of the Muppet Christmas Carol.

The most recent times we have made it we started marinating the chicken in the buttermilk for a few hours and it has really made all the difference! We’ve made for out of town visitors and during a friendly family food competition (which we won….yay!)

So after all that practice I now feel comfortable enough to post my winning recipe! You are going to love it!

Prep Chicken: Cut the chicken in half (horizontally will cook faster) and pound out the chicken with a meat tenderizer. Mix all dry ingredients together and rub into the chicken. Place in dish and cover with buttermilk. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

If you have 2 chefs in your kitchen prep the waffles and chicken at the same time. Otherwise I would do the waffles first.

Cook Chicken: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a cooling rack on a cookie and put in the oven.

Using a large cast iron pan heat oil to 360 degrees.

Set up 2 deep tupperware dishes and one plate. In the first tupperware mix together 1 1/2 cup flour, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.

In the second one beat together the buttermilk and egg. Add the baking soda and baking powder. Mix together until it starts to get foamy.

Put 1/2 cup of flour on the plate and reserve 1 cup flour right next to it.

Remove chicken from the fridge and remove from the container letting as much buttermilk drip off as possible. Pat with a papertowel to remove as much excess buttermilk as possible.

Coat the chicken thoroughly in the seasoned flour, then into the buttermilk then onto the plate for a final coating of flour. Replace flour on the plate as needed. Some people say you can let it sit in a dish till all the chicken is coated and then fry. I like to fry it right away.

Slowly place the chicken in the hot oil. Cook 5-7 minutes per side. Check the internal temperature to make sure it gets to 165. Once cooked through, place on the cooling rack in the oven until you’re ready to assemble the waffles.

To make the gravy:

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the bouillon cubes. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic and rosemary and cook for 1 minute until butter starts to darken. Whisk in the flour until you have a thick paste. Cook for 30 seconds whisking occasionally. Add the milk 1/2 cup at a time and give it an aggressive whisking each time. Once you’ve added all the milk add the salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, do not let it boil. Once it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon remove from heat.

Assemble with waffles, chicken a fried egg and topped with gravy and green onions!

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These green beans are to die for! Seriously they are so delicious. When we had our early Thanksgiving cooking extravaganza we made these as a side.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh green beans

2 strips bacon chopped

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp Dijon mustard (yes…seriously)

1/4 cup chopped onions

This recipe is really simple to make. First you’ll want to boil the green beans until they are easily pierced with a fork, but don’t overdo it because they will be cooked more in a pan with the other ingredients. Once they are ready, drain them and rinse with cold water and set them aside. Next start cooking the chopped bacon in a pan on medium heat (6-8 setting), just cook until browned and not too crispy. Leave the grease and add the onions, garlic, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard and mix until a sauce is formed and is bubbling lightly. Now add the green beans and cook while mixing until evenly coated, this will take about 5 minutes.

That’s it! It’s so simple but you won’t be disappointed! This will be a great side for your upcoming holiday feasts!

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These pork chops are mouthwatering, tender fall apart, saucy perfection! With just a little prep time you will have an incredibly satisfying meal that tastes like you were slaving away for hours!

When we sat down to enjoy these Levi said right away how tasty they were. He even said he loved the sauce, and he is not the biggest sauce person! That was high praise! I knew I had a keeper recipe here.

This meal was pretty quick to prep, which was perfect for me because I had tons of vacation prep to do on Sunday! It is time time for the annual family migration to Lake Vallecito, Co! I love this little getaway because I get to see my sister and her husband. We always have fun playing in the lake, playing board games and just hanging out with great food and good strong drinks. It’s nice to have a relaxing getaway!

While these chops were simmering away in the crockpot I took that time to get the chicken prepped for Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas. And then I fire roasted some tomatillos and jalapeños and whipped up a quick salsa verde. I did save the Rasperry Lemonade Cheescakes for later though. I don’t think those would last the three days before we left without us eating them all!

Ingredients:

2 Thick Cut Boneless Pork Chops

2 tsp Salt

1 Tbsp Ground Mustard

1 Tbsp Rosemary

1 Tbsp Grapeseed oil, or your favorite cooking oil

1/2 Yellow Onion, finely chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

3 Cups Chicken Stock

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Ground Black Pepper to taste

Fresh or dried basil to garnish

In a medium skillet over medium heat add the oil and onions. Sautée for 2 minutes, add garlic and sautée for another minute. Rub in the salt, mustard and rosemary on both sides of the chops. In the skillet move the onions and garlic to the side. Add the pork chops. Sear on each side for about 2 minutes each side. They should be slightly browned on the outside.

Add the chops, onions and garlic to the crockpot. Cover with chicken stock. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6.

About 15 minutes before they are done take 1 cup liquid and as many onions as you can get out of the crockpot and add to a small saucepan. Over medium heat whisk in the cornstarch. Once that has dissolved slowly add the cream, whisking continuously. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add black pepper to your preference. The sauce should thicken up enough that it will coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the chops from the crockpot, smother in the sauce and garnish with basil.